Bolton Wanderers keen on 40-year-old boss sacked by Stoke City, two other contenders eyed
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Bolton Wanderers have identified Steven Schumacher as a contender for their newly-vacant managerial post, as per reporter Alan Nixon.
Bolton Wanderers have endured a dismal season to date and after growing calls for a change in the dugout, the decision has finally been made.
On Wednesday morning, the Trotters announced the departure of head coach Ian Evatt. The official line was that he has moved out by mutual consent, but the feeling among fans was that his position had become increasingly untenable over the past few months.
After a thoroughly disappointing season, Wanderers need a boss who can breathe life back into the squad and galvanise the fan base. Now, links with managerial contenders have quickly emerged.
Writing on his Patreon, reporter Alan Nixon says Steven Schumacher is in the frame to replace Evatt in the north west.
After being sacked by Stoke City earlier this season, the 40-year-old is available and would not cost a fee. Schumacher is keen on returning to the dugout too.
Nixon also mentions Rotherham United boss Steve Evans and St. Mirren’s Stephen Robinson as figures with admirers within the Bolton Wanderers hierarchy. A free agent boss may be the preference, but there is a willingness to pay compensation for the right figure.
Schumacher’s work
Schumacher is a manager held in high regard, so he’d be an eye-catching appointment for Bolton Wanderers to make.
After time as an Everton youth coach and stints as assistant manager to Ryan Lowe, Schumacher made his first permanent step into senior management at Plymouth Argyle, taking over from Lowe as he headed to Preston North End.
The Liverpudlian would go onto lead the Pilgrims to Championship football, winning the League One title in the 2022/23 season. He had them in a decent position in the second-tier too, but decided to leave for Stoke City in December 2023.
Schumacher guided them away from the relegation picture and looked to be doing a steady job before the Potters’ shock call to sack him and bring in Narcis Pelach. That decision aged very poorly, with Pelach now gone and Mark Robins at the helm.
The task ahead
There’s no hiding Bolton Wanderers are really underachieving. The squad is capable of far more than they have shown this season and there is still a chance of pushing into the play-off spots this season.
That would likely be the goal for Schumacher, or whoever takes the reins after Evatt’s departure.
The Trotters sit in 9th as it stands, three points away from the play-offs. Schumacher is certainly a manager capable of closing that gap and keeping Bolton there, but time will tell who they identify as their top target.
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